Finding Simplicity

2 Mar

Written By Syed

Spring/Summer 2008

Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas may sound on paper like a most unlikely pairing, and yet in one those moments of true fashion alchemy, Y-3 is a label which not only works, but does so in an original and beautiful way. Whilst there are no doubt certain individuals (I believe the correct terminology is "ballers"), who are able to hit the gym and take a cosy day in head-to-toe Chanel sportswear, for the majority finding fashionable yet functional sportswear is somewhat of a bothersome task.

Personally for the gym I tend to lean towards a Silent by Damir Doma t-shirt, some Folk slim sweatpants and a pair of New Balance trainers. However the more I consider Y-3, the greater its appeal seems in terms of aesthetic, functionality, and perhaps most importantly, price, for everyday wear. Indeed although the sneakerhead within me still wants a pair of the studded Honja hi-tops, as I look back at past collections, it is the simplicity and functionality of the full looks that really make me pause for thought.

The Spring/Summer 2008 collection from Yohji is by far my favourite Y-3 collection, being both identifiably Yohji and yet coming from a direction he could understandably never take with his own YYPH label. There is an elegance in its simplicity which I find beautifully enigmatic - it is perhaps the shapes and silhouettes, or merely the absence of over-stylized elements on its periphery. As seems to be the case these days, I find myself most drawn towards the monochromatic looks where colour is noticed only in its absence - the full black and the full white looks.

What I have always found with Yohji's own line is that the blacks are a mystery all of their own, for you can find innumerable shades and tones and intricacies, in what is paradoxically the most withdrawn and yet most forthright colour (well technically a lack thereof). It is perhaps simply down to the fabrics he uses, and yet as a designer who creates around the fabric and its drape, the way he works in Y-3 is equally fascinating. Having handled the pieces there is an unmistakable care and attention to the way the fabric works and its placement on the body that so evokes for me the emotions and memories conjured by Yohji in any of his work. Leaving aside the large Y-3 logos on the more basic pieces, there is something beautiful to be found within the pairing of Yohji and Adidas.